Sexual Readiness? / Question
Published: February 23, 2001
Dear TeenHealthFX,
I am a 15-year-old guy, and have been seeing a girl for 7 months, she is also 15. I'm completely in love and I definitely think I'm ready for sex, which I would like to safely have, although I know she is not, she tells me she isn't going to have it until she's 18, that's a long time to wait! Is this just a phase and she hasn't developed any hormones or something or am I really going to have to wait? For three years!
Signed: Having To Wait 3 Years
Dear Having To Wait 3 Years,
There is nothing wrong with your girlfriend's hormones; she has made a personal choice. She sounds like a special person who has thought carefully about sex, and made a decision about what is best for her. Many young people feel pressured to have sex because they believe everybody else is "doing it". Everyone is different and each person has to decide what is right for him or her.
Whether you want to wait 3 years for this girl is a decision you have to make for yourself. Realize that it is possible to be physically intimate in a close, loving relationship with your girlfriend without having intercourse, like hugging and kissing. Remember, if you really do like her it wouldn't be fair to pressure her into something she is not comfortable doing.
TeenHealthFX is pleased to see that you recognize sex is a major responsibility. While you are anxious to have sex, you want to have it "safely". This shows you are taking the subject seriously.
Signed: TeenHealthFX
More than four in 10 young women become pregnant at least once before they reach the age of 20 - nearly one million a year teen pregnancies a year 
